Purpose

To consider the report of the Leader of the
Council seeking approval to adopt the Collections Development
Policy for Museums and Archives as a requirement of Arts Council
England's national Accreditation Scheme.

Decision

(i) 
To approve the Museums and Archives Collection
Development
 
  Policy
2024–2029 (see
Appendix 1) within the Culture & Tourism
 
  Division, as
the collections development and acquisition and
 
  disposals
policy for artefacts and material held in trust for the
public
 
  by Southampton
City Council (SCC).

(ii) 
To approve delegated authority to the Head of
Service to revise the
 
  policy if
required, following consultation with the Cabinet
Member.

Reasons for the decision

A
Council approved Collections Development Policy is an
essential
requirement of ACE’s
Accreditation Scheme for Museums. A
separate
Accreditation scheme governing archives is administered by The
National
Archives. Without Accreditation, Council eligibility for funding
from ACE,
National Lottery Heritage Fund and other lottery, trust and
foundation grant giving sources would be significantly
restricted.
 
The
CDP will guide the work of the Culture & Tourism team where it
is
required to rationalise current holdings or add new material to
its collections
that reflect the identity of a modern, diverse, inclusive city.
Culture & Tourism
provides public access to these important learning resources,
using them to
engage and inspire residents and visitors to the city through
exhibitions,
events, learning programmes and national and international
loans.
 
The
Policy provides a robust framework in any scenario in which
collections
may
need to be rationalised, managed and relocated to alternative
premises
arising from considerations around assets and potential
regeneration in the
city. The approach to Asset Development and Disposal Programme
(ADDP)
was
set out in the Cabinet and Council Report in March 2024. The CDP
also
provides assurance to Members and the public that national
standards are
employed.
 

Alternative options considered

The
alternative options considered were to retain the existing
approved
Council Collections Development Policy 2018-2023 or to have no
policy at
all. These options were rejected because the current policy has
expired and:
 

(i) 
An up-to-date policy is required to secure
Accreditation status and
 
  to reflect our
public offer and engagement programmes.

(ii) 
In anticipation of any potential relocation of
collections to more
 
   suitable facilities, then a robust policy is
required to adhere to
 
  national
standards and guidelines.

(iii) 
Accreditation and the CDP unlocks access to external
funding
 
  streams as part of
minimum standards and provides reassurance
 
  to residents that we
are caring for collections within the resources
 
 
available.